The Artistic voices behind the show

Viva - Creators

Davi Rodrigues
Choreographer and Artistic Director

Within his unique voice, Davi focuses on challenging physical freedom, using acrobatic moves and exploring the body in unusual ways; With a unique and unmistakable style that integrates the art of dance with the plastic quality, visual and emotion that the human body has the ability to express themselves, Davi is very successful with his unique style, bringing with him an enormous amount of energy and optimism. Read More

Kirsten Wicklund / Vancouver - Ballet BC Artist
Guest Choreographer

Kirsten Wicklund studied at Goh Ballet Academy and received scholarships for study at American Ballet Theatre, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Boston Ballet, PNB, and The Washington Ballet. Awards include; the Vancouver Foundation Arts Study Award, the Vancouver Ballet Society’s Memorial Scholarship, the Mary Day Artistry Award at the Youth American Grand Prix in NYC and was the only Canadian to place in the Top 12 Women. She has danced with The Washington Ballet, Alonzo King’s choreographic workshop, created works for Dances for a Small Stage, and the Dance Deck Series. She continues to choreograph, teach workshops and adjudicates across Canada and the US. Kirsten joined Ballet BC in 2014 where she has been privileged to dance works by Lesley Telford, Medhi Walerski, William Forsythe, Emmanuel Gat, Wen Wei Wang, Cayetano Soto, Johan Inger, Walter Mateini, Emily Molnar, Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, and others. Kirsten appreciates the collaborative nature of Ballet BC and the opportunity to create new works as well as continue performing the company’s existing repertoire. Kirsten is a certified yoga teacher and enjoys studying and practicing a variety movement languages.  Kirsten is in pursuit of creating and hopes to explore many different avenues within the performing arts.

Noam Gagnon / Vancouver - Vision Impure
Guest Choreographer

Noam Gagnon is an acclaimed choreographer and dance artist. Over the course of his career he has helped lead Canadian dance to the forefront of the international stage.

As co-artistic director and choreographer for The Holy Body Tattoo, Noam created work to worldwide critical and audience acclaim. our brief eternity toured internationally, including performances at the Sydney Opera House and the Barbican in London, winning the Dora Mavor Moore award for Best Ensemble Performance in dance. Circa, winner of the inaugural Alcan Performing Arts Award, was performed over one hundred times all around the world. monumental, the company’s largest and most ambitious piece, premiered in Ottawa in 2005, touring across Canada and the USA. In 2016 monumental was remounted with a score performed live by post-rock collective Godspeed You, Black Emperor!. Heralded as "an almighty revelation" by The Guardian UK and "surely one of the defining dance works of the 21st century" by the Adelaide Advertiser South Australia, the show toured to critical acclaim in Vancouver (PuSh Festival), Adelaide (Adelaide Festival), Montreal (Place Des Arts), Quebec City (Grand Theatre de Quebec), Toronto (Luminato Festival), Edinburgh (Edinburgh Festival), and New York (BAM).  2017-2017 monumental is still touring internationally.

To nurture a more personal and individual artistic vision, Noam founded Vision Impure as a satellite company of The Holy Body Tattoo in 2006. As Vision Impure’s artistic director, he continues to reshape the dance landscape with his achingly intimate and powerful works. Noam has created, choreographed and performed full-length works for Vision Impure including The Vision Impure (winner of The Isadora Award for Excellence in Performance), Thank You, You’re Not Welcome and  This Crazy Show. Noam is regularly commissioned by dance artists and companies and has collaborated with celebrated artists including Nigel Charnock, Daniel Léveillé, The Tiger Lillies, Steven Gilmore and William Morrison. Noam Gagnon is an Associate Dance Artist of Canada’s National Arts Centre.

Apprentice Company

Alexandra Shigetomi, Amanda Barros, Oksana Maslechko, Paula Pacheco and Sève Mc-mullin.

Alysa Pires / Toronto
Guest Choreographer

Choreographer Alysa Pires has created works for Ballet Kelowna, Ballet Edmonton (Citie Ballet), Ballet Jorgen, Ryerson University, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, and more. Alysa was one of the 2017 winners of Northwest Dance Project’s International Choreographic Competition. Her company, Alysa Pires Dance Projects, made its critically acclaimed full-length debut with Exterminating Angel at the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival. Alysa spent two seasons working with the National Ballet of Canada as part of their Choreographic Workshop. The resulting ballet, In Between, premiered as part of FIVE CREATIONS in January 2018 and was subsequently performed at NBOC’s Gala in June. Upcoming projects including the remounting of In Between by Ballet Kelowna and New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute. Alysa is a Honours BFA graduate from the Ryerson School of Performance and was the recipient of the 2015 Jack McAllister Award. For more information, visit www.alysapires.com or follow Alysa on social media @alysapiresdanceprojects.

Lara Barclay / Vancouver - Resident Choreographer
Resident Choreographer

A graduate of the National Ballet School, Lara and has been performing for over 20 years in Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, USA and Brazil dancing with such companies as Aszure Barton & Artists, Ballet Mannheim, Toronto Dance Theatre, Copenhagen International Ballet, Landeshauptstadt Kiel, Jan Lauwer’s Needcompany and Deborah Colker. Read more

Lamondancers Season 10

Alicia Jenkins, Amy Staples, Caroline Kiddie, Elisse Beckett, Gregory Jungco, Hannah Sim, Hayley Galati, Jessica Shigetomi, Keira Douet, Kluane Thompson, Madeleine Martin, Marie Taylor, Natasha Pavan.

Heather Laura Gray / Vancouver
Guest Choreographer

Heather  has performed on stage and screen as an actor, dancer and singer. Her journey has lead her to weave in and out of the commercial and company sectors of dance. She recently choreographed a musical episode for "Riverdale" Season 2, the Lifetime Biopic "Britney Ever After" and iZombie Season 4. As an on set choreographer Heather has choreographed for The CW Network's iZombie (season 2, 3 & 4), A&E's "Bates Motel", Lifetime Network's Movie "If There be Thorns", The Hallmark Network, State Farm (25 spots), Metamucil, American Family Insurance, Crayola, Tree House/YTV's "Bobs and Lolo" and the Fox series “The Killing”. Read More

Training Company

Afonso  Junior, Agustin Gomes, Alicia Jenkins, Amy Staples, Camila Silva, Caroline Kiddie, Elisse Beckett, Gregory Jungco, Hannah Sim, Hayley Galati, Jessica Shigetomi , Lázaro Silva, Keira Douet, Kluane Thompson Peabody, Madeleine Martin, Marie Taylor, Mateus Luiz and Natasha Pavan.